Every Pearl Has Its Oyster (7 page)

Gemma tried to absorb what she was seeing as Madison stuttered through her screen test, brushing at the beads of sweat on her temples as she tried to focus. She bit her lip, shooting apologetic looks behind the camera, continuing only when Sidney and the producer nodded for her to do so. For once in her life, she looked vulnerable. Gemma could feel a stir of discomfort in her stomach. She scolded herself for being too empathetic. This girl tortured you. Don’t need to feel bad for her. At all. She forced herself to wear a smile as Madison embarrassed herself in front of the room, unnerving her all the more. She was finally getting her payback, finally turning the tables on Madison. But for some reason, she could hardly enjoy it.

It wasn’t until Madison had officially bombed the read-through and exited the room that she’d felt herself properly reacting. Not wanting to distract Tyler from the rest of his screen tests, she excused herself to the bathroom where she slammed the door shut and collapsed against it. Her hands were trembling too much for her to text anyone and calling someone to talk was out of the question considering she could barely breathe. All she did was sit, too shocked to care that her clothes were touching a dirty bathroom floor. She had just seen Madison. Madison could very well be a part of her life again. A part of Tyler’s too.

But she bombed, Gemma repeated to herself. She bombed, so don’t worry. She’ll never get the part.

~

“Holy shit,” Tyler finally said as he struggled to stay focused on the dark roads. He had driven in silence for blocks once Gemma was finished telling him her history with Madison. It had taken her nearly the entire ride home to get through it and once she was done, it seemed as if it would take just as much time for Tyler to absorb it. They pulled past their gate and into the driveway but even after Tyler put the car in park and took off his seatbelt, he sat unmoving. “Gem, I don’t get why you never told me this before.”

“It’s not exactly something I enjoy revisiting. And it’s hard to explain.” Gemma leaned back in her seat, covering her eyes and taking deep breaths. “I actually feel kind of sick when I think about it. Like that… weak and pathetic person I used to be around her.”

“You were never weak and pathetic,” Tyler said, reaching over to pull her arm from her face. He kissed her gently on the tip of the nose.

“You weren’t even there, Tyler,” Gemma said. She then watched as his brows furrowed above her.

“I wanted to be.” He retorted, falling back into his seat. “We knew each other then. You could’ve told me everything. And if not then, you could’ve done it two years later when I asked you who you were talking about in your speech.” Tyler sat up straight again, gripping the steering wheel as if he were about to drive off once again. She could see his knuckles turning white. “Why don’t I know something as important as this about you? Does Zoe know about her?”

“No,” Gemma answered, hoping it’d make him feel better.

“So just Damian then.” Tyler’s face twisted with disgust as he dropped his hands from the wheel. “If I had known, Gemma, I would’ve made sure she knew right there that what goes around comes around.”

“Come on, Tyler,” Gemma snorted. “She’s not a guy. You can’t just punch her in the face or something.”

“I would’ve done something to show her.”

Gemma brushed his hair back. “No you wouldn’t. You’re too nice to do something like that.”

Tyler looked nauseated by her response. “No, Gemma. I’m not.”

Back in the house, she sat alone on the bed, listening to the sound of running water in the bathroom. Tyler had ripped his shirt off and gone straight for a shower, leaving her to groan quietly in the bedroom about what had just happened. She was still shaken from seeing Madison at the auditions, but now there was Tyler to tend to. It seemed lately that they couldn’t go a day without running into some sort of topic to fight about.

Her feet walked her to the bathroom and to the running shower. She pulled open the door to see Tyler leaning forward beneath the showerhead as the water ran down his back. Gemma stood watching him, leaning against the doorframe as she studied his body. There was no arguing that he was at his fittest. But as the water streamed down through the lines of his new muscular frame, Gemma noticed something else she hadn’t noticed before. Tyler’s once boyish, carefree shoulders looked tense. His forearms were tight as they leaned against the tiles. He turned to look at her, flashing his eyebrows with slight surprise.

“Careful,” Tyler said as he lowered his arms and stepped back. “The water splashes out, you’ll get your shirt wet.”

“Oh well,” Gemma shrugged. She kicked off her shoes and stepped into the shower, fully clothed, closing the door behind her. She could feel her silk t-shirt begin to stick to her skin as the water came down on her.

“What are you doing?” Tyler laughed. Gemma smiled as she reached up to put her hands to his face. She could feel his jaw relax as she stood there, looking into his eyes. They were the same honey-brown eyes that had watched and adored her for years. She could still see the admiration and love that had been there since day one but to her surprise, she could still see the longing. Tyler looked at her as if he were still pursuing her, as if she was still just out of reach, as if they weren’t already together.

“You know that I love you, right?” she whispered. Gemma let her hands drop to the back of his neck as she continued to look up at him, blinking the water from her eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Madison. It’s just… the thought of her still makes me shiver. Just because I made that speech about her doesn’t mean I stopped feeling anger whenever I thought about her.” Gemma tried to laugh at herself. “But that was high school. She’s not going to mess with me anymore. Not that I think she’ll have the chance to considering how badly she bombed today,” Gemma joked.

Tyler laughed, touching his forehead to hers. “You’re probably right.”

CARBINE COMPLETES CASTING WITH INTERNET SENSATION, MADISON LENNOX

The Pop Source

June 29th

It’s official!

Hollywood newcomer Madison Lennox has landed the coveted role of sexy daredevil Dakota in Sidney Willis’s upcoming drama, Carbine. The 20-year-old beauty rose to online fame weeks ago when she posted a video of herself performing pirouettes and plies on the edge of a rooftop – captivating viewers with both her elegance and bold risk-taking. The video, which garnered over four million views in a just few weeks, went on to soar in popularity after cameras caught popstar Queen Bee watching it. That, according to sources, was when Willis started paying attention to the buzz.

“
Sidney finally watched the video at the urging of a few associates. He immediately arranged to bring Madison into an audition,” a source reports. “Her audition performance actually wasn’t the best they’d seen, but both Sidney and the producers saw a ‘simultaneous toughness and vulnerability’ that they found absolutely perfect.”

Lennox, who studies ballet at New York University, released a statement today about her new leading role. “I am honored and thrilled to be working with a legend like Sidney and a great talent like Tyler Chase,” Lennox said. “I am a born performer and I am so looking forward to this opportunity and all that comes with it. I absolutely can’t wait.”

“Oh, thank God. I was about to faint.” Leah collapsed back into her lounge chair, clutching her heart in her bikini. “I was gonna say, he better have offered to quit the movie.”

Kate squinted in the sun despite her heart-shaped shades and the fact that Andro and James were blocking most of the sun anyway. “I don’t get it. Why wouldn’t he just get Madison fired instead of quit? He’s Tyler Chase. He knows that right?”

Gemma laughed as she tried to relax with Leah and Kate at the private cabana atop their boutique hotel. But relaxing wasn’t easy with Madison on her mind. It also didn’t help that she was in clothes that were a size too small for her, thanks to Perrin. Her outfit was just one of the many “assigned ensembles” for her to wear when there was a possibility of being photographed in public. Pieces of those ensembles included cropped t-shirts boasting expletives across the chest and transparent bodysuits for which no matching undergarments were provided. Not that Gemma would wear them. It was laughable – all a part of Oro’s attempt at adding some “edge” and “scandal” to Queen Bee’s and subsequently Gemma’s look.

She had every intention of defying their wishes that morning by donning a one-shouldered maxi dress by Armand, but she was too exhausted from the news of Madison’s casting to risk facing Perrin’s wrath. Instead, she found the two least cheap-looking pieces from the assigned ensembles and paired them to create an acceptable outfit more her style than that of a hooker’s. The sheer cream tank top she’d chosen looked sexy but not crass over a black bandeau and high-waisted shorts. It was pleasing to know that she’d played by the rules but still beat Oro at their own game.

“To answer your question, Kate, Tyler knows he’s Tyler Chase.”

“Well, thank God.”

“But that doesn’t mean he can get Madison fired,” Gemma said. Kate wrinkled her freckled nose in confusion, pushing her sunglasses up her face. “They’re the ones taking a chance on him,” Gemma explained. “He had to work his ass off and gain all this muscle mass to just get an audition. He killed himself for this role.” Gemma sucked in a deep breath, running her finger around the top of her bellini glass. “Which is why I told him to keep it.”

“You what?” Leah and Kate both shot up from their chairs, ripping the sunglasses off their faces at the same time. Gemma sighed as she began the same reasoning that she’d given Mira and Gavin on the phone when they’d heard about Madison’s casting. And the same one she’d essentially given Tyler when he had approached her with his decision to quit the film.

“It’ll force me to get over her,” Gemma had told Tyler simply, even though she knew it wasn’t as simple as it sounded. “You’ve been dreaming about what this role could do for your career so I’m not going to stand in the way because I don’t like this girl.”

“You’re oversimplifying it,” Tyler said as he lay beside her in bed, watching her as she stared at the ceiling. “She tortured you.”

“You’re going to be co-workers, not best friends. I’d be much more tortured knowing that I stunted your career somehow,” Gemma said, hoping Tyler didn’t detect the strain in her voice. She was putting on the bravest one she could muster because she obviously didn’t like the idea of Tyler spending every day of the next five months with Madison, forcing himself to believe that he was in love with her, no doubt filming with her the love scenes that were included in every Sidney Willis film. It wasn’t easy, but she knew it was the right thing to do.

“And he accepted?” Leah exclaimed.

“I made him,” Gemma answered plainly. Leah and Kate glanced at each other.

“What did Damian say to all this?” Leah asked cautiously. She knew well about the tension between Tyler and Damian, but the question was fair – Damian had after all been Gemma’s only true ally against Madison in high school. Gemma shrugged, adjusting her bandeau bra as the motion made it slide down her body. If Damian hadn’t called, he likely didn’t know about the casting yet. Constantly in a gym or arena somewhere, he’d never been one to be up on gossip.

“Well. You’re a good girlfriend.” Kate sighed, pursing her lips. “I’d be scared to let Madison near my boyfriend. I mean not that you should be threatened, I just… I wouldn’t. She’d end up seducing him one way or another.” When Leah elbowed her hard, Kate yelped and backtracked. “Ow! I mean… I don’t know! I’m sure it’s fine, just… make sure you visit the set to keep any eye on them. That’s all.”

Leah considered it, surrendering to agreement herself. “She’s probably right, Gem.” She winced ruefully. “I’d Just remind Tyler that you’re his girlfriend. Show the whole set who’s boss. Especially Madison.”

~

Gemma couldn’t help it. She had counted down to and prepared for the first day of production for Carbine. In her full-length mirror in the closet, Gemma eyed her body in her cropped tank top and saffron maxi skirt. The outfit showed just a peep of skin above her taut waist and more than a peep through the long slit up the side of the skirt. She’d even thought up an excuse to be visiting the set in such a sexy ensemble.

“Oh, I just came from a meeting with my label,” Gemma told Tyler’s assistant as she led her towards set. “I wanted to drop by and make sure Tyler could come to a party we’re throwing soon.” It was a total lie – Tyler already knew about the boring dinner she and Oro Records would soon be hosting for her tour sponsors, and even if he hadn’t, there was no reason for her to tell him about it in person. But his assistant seemed not to notice.

“I see. Well, they’re just going over some notes but Tyler’s break will be soon and you can ask him,” she said, seating Gemma on a comfortable chair and nodding over at the other side of the room. There, Tyler stood in a huddle with Sidney Willis and the very handsome Liam Brody, his onscreen brother and Hollywood’s resident model-dating lothario. Despite the sight of the controversial Liam, Gemma’s eyes were glued to Tyler. With much of the crew still staring, she had to cover her goofy smile with her hand – it was from ear-to-ear because he looked so damned cute with his messy hair and distressed leather jacket, holding a matte black motorcycle helmet under his arm. Gemma scooted her chair forward to get a better look at him, and as she did, caught his attention mid-sentence. She grinned mischievously, crossing her leg so that the fabric of her dress fell aside, baring it up to her thigh for Tyler to see. His face froze for a moment, his eyes plastered to her. It took Sidney’s snapping for him to finally return to the conversation and even contribute a sentence or two.

But once Sidney spoke again, Tyler’s eyes returned to Gemma, trailing up her body starting from her toes, which she’d painted a bright poppy color. When his eyes finally met hers, he shook his head at her and mouthed, “That was mean.” Gemma giggled. She was off to a good start. Within seconds, Tyler slipped out of his meeting with Sidney to go over to her. He gave her a kiss on the lips before gazing down at her dress.